Silo-door.



G. W. REESE.

SILO DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED 35.11.20, 1911.

993,873. Patented May 30,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHBIZT 1.

/ mlaeuto'n Geaz ge H4 lieeae a Wbimmeo G. W. REESE.

SILO DOOR.

APPLICATION mum JAN.20, 1911.

Patefited May 30, 1911,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

GEORGE W. REESE, OF IOWA CITY, IOWA.

SILO-DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 20, 1911. Serial No. 603,735.

To all whom it mag/concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. REESE, of Iowa City, in the county of Johnson and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Silo-Doors;

and I do hereby declare the following to be.

a full, clear, and exact description of the in vention, such as will enable others skilled '.in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The primary object of this invention is to so construct and arrange the doors of a silo that they will be securely held in place, when in their closed positions, under the weight of the contents of the silo, and .inay be readily and easily swung into and held in their opened positionsythe hinging means serving, when the doors are closed, as lad;

ders, and also as means to enable the doors to be-readily manipulated both when being moved into their opened as well as into their closed positions.

Briefly outlined, my invention contemplates a series of vertically-disposed doors which are designed to close openings in the side of a silo formed between horizontal cross pieces connected to the vertical portions of the silo. The several doors have overlapping beveled edges so that when they are in their closed positions a continuous unbroken surface is. presented to the entire silo, and each doorhas a sliding conne 'tion to a hinging bracket, which latter serves as a ladder when the doors are closed, and may be swung inwardly when a door is to be moved into its opened position, the several doors being thus inverted and secured at the doors in its closed and opened position.

Patented May 30, 1911.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view on line 1-4,

Fig. 1. Fig. 5 shows a door when being swung from one position to another.

Referring to the drawings, 1, 1, designate the parallel uprights forming opposite sides of a continuous longitudinally extending opening f a silo, which uprights are rabbcted on their inner faces; 2, horizontally disposed spaced-apart cross pieces rigidly secured to uprights 1; and 3, a base connecting the uprights at their bottoms, such base having its upper edge beveled, as at 4. 6 designates a series of doors, each of which may be made of any suitable material, but preferably of tongue and groove boards fastened together by cleats 7 and 8 extending across their outer faces. To these outer faces are secured hinging plates 10, each plate in itself being shown as composed of spaced-apart correspondin sides in each of which is formed a longitu inal slot 12.

14 designates the hinging members, each of which is shown as composed of two curved arms which are connected at their lower ends by a transverse bar 16, slightly offset at its ends. The upper ends of these curved arms are hinged at 17 at points be-" .neath the cross pieces 2. The lower ends of the curved arms of each bin ing member fit between the spaced-apart si es of plates 10, and through such ends are passed rods 19 which extend also through slots 12 of the hinging plates, such rods 19 at their ends a being provided withnuts or other stops 19 to hold them as against longitudinal movement. a H

Each door at its top and bottom is beveled as at 22, the bevel at the bottom of the lowermost door fitting against the bevel of I the base, while the beveled bottom of each superposed door fits against the beveled top of the next lower door so that when all ofthe doors are closed a smooth unbroken surfalce will be presented at the interior of the s1 0. I

The upper cross cleat 7 of each door, when the latter is closed fits beneath one of the cross pieces 2,.and is locked thereto by a.

bolt 25 which is shown in the form of a straight rod having an upper right angular hooked portion 26 which serves as a handle for inserting and removing the bolt in locking and unlocking the doors in their closed positions.

From what has been said it will be seen that when the several doors are in their closed positions the cross bars of the several hinging members willv constitute ladders for permitting access to be had to the top of the silo.

It is understood that in discharging the contents of a silo the topmost door is the first opened and the remaining doors are opened as the quantity of material-in the silos is reduced. To open a door, the operator first withdraws the locking bolt 25 and then pushes inwardly on the door, preferably by applying pressure to the cross bar of its hinging member. Suflicient material "is first removed from the interior of the silo .to permit the door to move slightly inward; the operator then lifts upwardly on the door, and gives it a quarter turn, the cross rod 19 serving as a pivot therefor, whereupon the door is then moved into an upright position, with its normally inner face turned outwardly the hinging members 14 turning on their pivots .to complete the opening or the door. The latter then fits in the rabbeted faces of the uprights but its upper end is somewhat short of the upper cross piece 2, allowing sufiicient space for the operator to insert his hand to place the bolt 25 in the opening of such cross piece and to permit such bolt to be turned so that its'hooked end will enga e the now upper end of the door and hold it in its opened position.

When it is desired to close the doors it is necessary to first remove the retaining bolt 25 and allow the door and its hinging member to swing downwardly, turning on the pivots of the latter, and after the door has reached its lower position it is drawn upwardly, the slots in plates 10' permitting this to be done, and its lower end is placed in engagement with the upper beveled edge of the next lower door or base 3 in closing the lowermost door. The operator then again insertslocking .bolt 25 and the door is firmly I secured in place.

.Thus it will be seen that I have provided extremely simple and highly efficient means for securing the doors of a silo both in their closed and opened positions; that when closed the weight of the contents of the silo tends to force the doors to their seats, that the hinging members constitute ladders when the doors are closed and serve as means for moving such doors into their different osi tionsQ Mention should also be made 0 the fact that the curved arms of the hinging pivotally connected to the silo and to the door, and means forming a sliding connection between each door and its respective hinging member to permit the door to be fitted against the sides of the opening in both its closed and opened positions.

2. A silo having a continuous vertical opening, a series of doors for closing such opening, suchdoors being beveled at their tops and bottoms and designed to fit one against another, a hinging member for each door pivotally connected to the silo and to thedoor, and means forming a sliding connection between each door and its respective hinging member to permit the door to fit against the sides of the opening in both its closed .and opened positions.

3. A silo having a continuous vertical opening, a series of doors for closing such opening, a hinging member for each door comprising oppositely-disposed bars hinged to the silo and having a cross bar connecting such bars, and means forming a sliding connection between each door and its respective hinging member.

4. A silo having a continuous vertical opening, a series of doors for closing such opening, a hinging member for each door comprising oppositely-disposed outwardly curved arms which are pivotally secured to the silo, and a cross bar connecting such tion between each door and said arms.

5. A silo having a continuous vertical opening, a series of doors for closing such opening, oppositely-disposed plates secured to each door and having longitudinally extended slots, a hinging member for each door comprising spaced-apart arms pivotally secured to the silo and having a cross rod extended through the slots of said plates, and a cross bar connecting such arms.

6. A silo having a continuous vertical opening, spaced-apart cross pieces connecting the sides of such opening, a series of doors for closing such opening, a hinging member for each door pivotally connected to the silo and to the door, means forming a sliding connection between each, door and cross piece for engaging and holding each door in either its closed or opened positions. 7 A s1lo having a contmuous vertical opening, spaced apart cross pieces connecting the sides oi. such opening, a series of doors for closing such opening, such doors being beveled at their tops and bottoms and designed to fit one against another, a hinging member for each door'pivotelly connected to the silo and to the door, means forming a sliding connection between each door and its respective hinging member to permit the door to fit against the sides of the opening in both its closed and opened positions, and a series of locking bolts carried by said cross ing Witneses.

GEORGE W. REESE.

Witnesses: r

C. F. I'IAMBRECHT, ALBIA Kos.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

